Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny opened this weekend to an anemic horse-ride into the sunset. Only grossing $60 million in the United States and $158 million worldwide, the film has Hollywood financial experts declaring it will be a bigger flop than The Flash. This is due to the nearly $400 million budget for the movie alone, not factoring in the untold millions they spent on advertising the second coming of Indy.

Indiana Jones should have been a sure thing. It was not. So why did Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny fail so hard at the box office? I have four thoughts.

The Economy

While things are better than they were in 2020, there are still many who cannot afford to take an average family to a movie week after week. The cost of going to see a new film is growing, as are the cost of the snacks that are most theaters’ sole source of revenue. A night at the movies is not the cheap amusement it once was and we learned during the pandemic that streaming at home is a much better option for most people for many different reasons, be it financial or because people just hate how others act at the movie theate

Misogyny and the Anti Woke Sentiment in America

Helena Shaw is a strong character. An equal to Indiana Jones in everything. In fact, she may even be a bit smarter than him in some respects.

In a world where “alpha males” are losing their minds over stupid things, they hate the idea of empowered female characters like Helena Shaw. How dare such a female character exist in the macho world of Indiana Jones?!?!

I see the anti woke movement of today engaging in the same self-indulgent malaise as the anti-feminists of the 1970s. The arguments of the old generation about how things ought to be are now being parroted by the closed-minded incels they raised.

Hollywood is Out Of Touch

In the past two years, if you look at the films that made lots of money compared to those that did not not, very few are big-budget tent-pole items and/or sequels. Tastes and wants are changing. Little films and horror are making big comebacks. Unfortunately, Hollywood has yet to realize this.

The Crystal Skull and The Star Wars Sequels Trilogy

Let’s face it, the stench of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull still lingers for many. Yes, it has its fans, but so does The Rise of Skywalker. For many, what Disney did to Star Wars with the Sequel Trilogy was far worse than they ever imagined possible after Disney bought Lucasfilm. An overreaction, in my opinion, but it is what it is. Despite positive word of mouth, many were afraid to give The Dial of Destiny a chance, due to this sins of Disney’s past and George Lucas’ as well.

Indian Jones and the Dial of Destiny does not deserve to flop. However, it is symbolic of the same-old, same-old when it comes to what Hollywood offers audiences compared to what they want to see. Even some things that were once a guarantee hit, like PIXAR movies and superhero cinema, are not anymore.

Hollywood needs an enema. A big one. And a serious reassessment of what audiences want versus what they think we want. And an AI is never going to be able to predict that. Looking at you, Warner Bros.